I see their scammy looking ads from time to time and mentally group them with those auction sites claiming you can win an iPad for $4.38.
This is the first I've heard that they are an actual company.
It was the first we'd heard of them (having been in London only a month or so), but they got a lot of publicity on the Tube in the lead up to New Year's Eve (where they sponsored free public transport for the evening). But even discussions of that promotion were all tinged with 'how could Transport for London / the Mayor's office associate themselves with a company like this?'.
"Is there any positivity in that brand?"
None that I've seen. And when they're charging interest rates like they do to afford offices like they do, I doubt any will be forthcoming in the near future.
They also have tight control over their credit limits and grant expanding credit based on customers' past performance. I'm not sure to what extent bad customers get financially screwed, but in the end I guess it comes down to firing bad customers, which can be a big positive in some markets.
Their advertising very big on the customer having choice and control over their loan. Fear of escalating charges probably features large in the mind of someone needing to take a payday loan, so it seems having a nice web interface and clear statements of what you have to pay are a plus (even though their actual credit terms are objectively terrible).
So yeah, they're in a business that rightly has a shady reputation. But in terms of building a technology business they seem to be doing some interesting things.